South Boston Speedway NewsSam Ard Night Set May 26 At South Boston SpeedwayMay 16, 2007 - updated May 16th, 2007 9:04pmWeb posted by

South Boston, VA. --

South Boston Speedway will pay tribute to and stage a benefit event for one its legendary past champions, Sam Ard, on Saturday night, May 26 with the Sam Ard Night 150.
Ard, who won the South Boston Speedway NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Division championship in 1982, and will be on hand for the festivities.
As a part of the tribute to Ard, 2005 South Boston Speedway and NASCAR Weekly Series national champion Peyton Sellers of Danville, Va. will return to South Boston Speedway to compete in the evening’s 150-lap race for the Barkhouser Late Model Stock Car Division.
Sellers will drive a Chevrolet that will be painted to resemble the well-known No. 00 Thomas Brothers Country Hams sponsored Oldsmobile that Ard drove to a number of wins.
In addition, former South Boston Speedway and NASCAR Weekly Series national champion, Barry Beggarly of Pelham, N.C. will be on hand to take part in the evening’s activities.
Ard will be coming to South Boston Speedway continuing to recover from injuries he sustained in a recent ATV accident. The former two-time NASCAR Busch Series champion has had a tough time of things in recent years, having been stricken with Alzheimer’s Disease. His wife, Jo, has been stricken with a degenerative eye disease.
To help the Ard Family, South Boston Speedway has set a $10 admission price for this special five-race event and will donate $2 from each ticket sold to the Ards.
In addition to the 150-lap race for the Barkhouser Late Model Stock Cars, the May 26 five-race card will include races for the Limited Sportsman Division, the Budweiser Pure Stock Division, the Southern Vintage Modifieds and the INEX Legends Cars.
Grandstand gates will open at 5 p.m. with qualifying set for 5:15 p.m. Pre-race activities will start at 6:30 p.m. and the first race will get the green flag at 7 p.m.
Adult admission will be $10 with youths ages 10-15 admitted for $5. Kids ages nine and under will be admitted free.
Along with watching the racing action on May 26, fans attending the Sam Ard Night 150 will have a final opportunity to place their order for South Boston Speedway’s commemorative 50th anniversary book and get the book for its pre-order price of $12. The book will sell for $15 each after the May 26 race.
Copies of the book may be pre-ordered by visiting the speedway’s website at www.southbostonspeedway.com, downloading and printing off the order form and either faxing or mailing the order form to the speedway. Pre-orders will be held with a credit card. Order forms will be available at the track on race night.
The track’s 50th anniversary book, which will give fans a detailed look at the speedway’s history, is at the printer and is expected to arrive in early June.
“Our 50th anniversary book is something that every race fan will want to have,” said Nick Igdalsky, Vice President of Pocono Raceway and South Boston Speedway.
“This book is a true collector’s item for racing fans. A group of local writers, writers who have been involved in racing for well over 50 years, donated their time and expertise to write the stories and provide photos and statistics to make this a quality book that will be of interest to everyone.”
For more information about the Sam Ard Night 150 racing program or South Boston Speedway’s 50th anniversary season, visit the speedway’s website at www.southbostonspeedway.com or phone the track at 434-572-4947 or toll free at 1-877-440-1540.